Parallax Films is turning a domestic box-office wave into an export slate. At the Asian Contents & Film Market in Busan, the sales agent is shopping new projects from three directors at the centre of China’s women-led cinema boom: Shao Yihui, Yang Lina and Yin Lichuan.
Three names, three commercial signals
Shao’s short “Winning at Sleep” trains her satire on meritocracy and constant competition, following an everyday girl handed an unlikely shot at glory. Yang’s “It’s OK” reteams with Golden Horse winner Wen Qi, casting her as a young teacher facing an urgent health crisis while navigating a relationship with her traditional mother. Yin’s “A Joke” is billed as the first Chinese feature to tackle workplace sexual harassment: a sanitation worker spends three years quietly collecting proof against an abusive boss, then enlists a young lawyer to expose him.
The number that changed the conversation
The slate is not a speculative bet. In 2024, Yin’s “Like a Rolling Stone” and Shao’s “Her Story” grossed more than RMB845 million ($118 million) combined at the domestic box office, extending the breakthrough Shao started with “B for Busy” in 2021. “Her Story” then won best picture, best actress and best supporting actress at the 38th Golden Rooster Awards, mainland China’s government-backed film honours, where women directors have historically had few opportunities.
Parallax credits a young female audience with growing clout for proving that stories about gender roles, relationships and social pressure can scale. Investors, studios and producers have responded by backing a broader range of women-led projects.
What buyers should read
- Women-directed Chinese features are moving from festival curiosity to pre-sale target.
- Commercial and festival lanes are converging: the same directors chase awards and box office.
- Shorts, documentaries and features now operate as one talent pipeline for distributors.
Parallax’s wider slate reinforces that reading. Shorts include “Our Secrets,” which took the Lights On Women’s Worth Award at Cannes’ La Cinef, and “Orlo With Karma,” a Tibetan coming-of-age romance from Kangdrun. “Linka Linka,” winner of the Firebird and Fipresci prizes at the Hong Kong International Film Festival, explores urban Tibetan youth culture, while “Masayume” is set for a North American release in spring 2027.
What to do about it
For media planners and entertainment marketers, the signal is straightforward: the audience has been proven, but global distribution is still being assembled. Early buyers can secure rights before the next box-office number lands. Parallax says it recently closed theatrical and digital deals across Europe, North America and Asia, and “Linka Linka” has drawn strong distributor interest. Busan will show how much of China’s domestic momentum converts into global catalogue value.
Source: Variety
